Landscaping crews work to clear lots, sidewalks

Friday

Jan 31, 2014 at 12:01 AMJan 31, 2014 at 12:59 PM

Landscapers in the area spent part of the week doing a job they don't usually get to do: snow clearing.

AMANDA HICKEY Daily News Staff

Ryan Holland, owner of H&H Landscaping in Swansboro, planned to have two crews out in Onslow County Wednesday clearing parking lots and sidewalks so employees and customers could get to their desired businesses.

Holland told The Daily News that the crews would clear about 30 locations, including USAA Bank and area ABC Stores, on Wednesday.

Each crew, he said, would consist of a foreman on a tractor and a second worker with a shovel clearing.

“We'll shovel all the sidewalks so people can use the businesses and get to the doors and that kind of stuff. Then we'll take the tractors and push it all to a central location in a pile and it'll sit there for a week or two until it melts,” Holland said.

Holland said it was work people depended on.

“It's probably not going to be the safest conditions, but we have to make it happen,” he said.

He said he advised his employees to not drive over 30 or 35 mph and, when no one else was on the road, to try and drive in the center to prevent the four-wheel drive trucks and equipment from going off road.

“There's no rush so we want to be as slow and easy about it as possible,” Holland said.

According to Kris Jackson, manager of Jackson's Lawn and Landscaping, parking lot clearing and snow melt down is just a part of the contract for companies who maintain properties in the area.

Jackson said the company would have crews taking equipment, like a BobCat with a bucket on it, and scrape the parking lots.

“If somebody needs to walk into the bank or store or what not, it needs to be safe for them to be able to,” he said.

Neta Grady, system administrator for area ABC stores, said that they have H&H Landscaping clear their parking lots and sidewalks to ensure safety for employees and customers.

Grady said she tried to clear the lots herself in previous snow events.

“Not much of it got shoveled. Basically it was a matter of cars coming in and crunching it down,” she said with a laugh. “... I just happened to have a snow shovel.”